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B-Sides Report for 01/06/2016



Taylor Swift Shares Stripped-Down 'Wildest Dreams' Performance

(Radio.com) On Monday (Jan. 4), Taylor Swift treated her fans to a recorded live performance of her hit "Wildest Dreams," featuring her on an intimate stage with just an electric guitar.

The video was recorded back on September 30, 2015 at the Clive Davis Theater in Los Angeles. Swift had been honored with a special exhibition in the GRAMMY Museum to recognize her life and work. Personal mementos and music memorabilia gave viewers a taste of Swift's ascendency over the last decade.

This is the second high-quality video from the event: In October, the museum released footage of Swift performing "Out of the Woods" during her set. Read more and watch the video here.

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LCD Soundsystem Reunion To Continue Beyond Coachella

(Radio.com) Rumors abounded in late 2015 that LCD Soundsystem would reunite in 2016 to perform at several major U.S. music festivals, and today it looks like all systems are finally go. Coachella announced LCD Soundsystem would officially serve as one of the 2016 festival's headliners.

Consequence of Sound reports that event production company AEG Live offered the band a massive multi-million dollar deal to reunite and perform at Coachella, FYF Fest and other major festivals in the UK and Europe. While no other performances have yet been announced, the band's website does state "2016 tour dates coming soon."

Amid speculations as to why LCD Soundsystem chose to reunite not even five years after they called it quits, founder James Murphy posted an explanation to the band's website titled, "Let's Just Start This Thing With Some Clarity." After detailing his songwriting process, Murphy admitted that he'd never stopped writing songs, even after LCD Soundsystem disbanded.

"Early in 2015, i realized i had more of those than i'd ever had in my life. more of them than when i went in to make any lcd record, or when i recorded tapes upon tapes of terrible things in high school," Murphy wrote. "just loads of them, and i found myself a little perplexed. if i record them, what do i do with them? maybe i shouldn't record them at all? i considered that, which was in a way the easiest option, but it also seemed like a weird and arbitrary (and sort of cowardly) cop-out. but to record them--well then, suddenly i have, what--a record?" Read more here.

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Ariana Grande Goes Surprises Broadway Showtunes Performance

(Radio.com) Ariana Grande has a huge voice tucked away in her tiny frame. She showed a group of unsuspecting audience members just how big her voice can be when she turned up at Catalina's Bar and Grill in Hollywood. Grande joined composer Jason Robert Brown for a three-song set at his recent show.

Brown and Grande became friendly when she starred as Charlotte in the Broadway musical 13 seven years ago. He wrote the music and lyrics for the show. Before Grande took the stage in a sweat shirt and her glasses, Jason Robert Brown recalled knowing Grande before she became an international pop star.

Grande was excited to perform with her friend and it showed through her stunning performance. She sang two songs from 13 and then performed a duet with singer Shoshana Bean.

Grande's brother Frankie was on hand to catch the set on video. He posted it to the internet and Ariana shared it with her fans on Twitter. Check it out here.

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Jason Aldean And Lee Brice To Be Part Of Tyler Farr's Redneck Wedding

(Radio.com) Tyler Farr is looking forward to his big "redneck wedding," the Georgia native tells Taste of Country Nights. Farr and his fiancee Hannah Freeman are planning to say their nuptials outside of Nashville, which will make it easy for his famous groomsmen to make the event.

'We're getting married in Tennessee," Farr said. 'I was in Jason [Aldean]'s wedding, walked his little girl down the aisle. He's one of my groomsmen -- Colt Ford, Lee Brice are all groomsmen.

"It'll be quite the redneck wedding." Aldean is also in charge of the bachelor party, and while he isn't the best man, Farr explains, 'I'm just making him in charge." Read more here.

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Brad Paisley Does Surprise Little Jimmy Dickens Tribute Performance

(Radio.com) Brad Paisley made a surprise appearance on the Grand Ole Opry this weekend to pay tribute to the late country legend Little Jimmy Dickens on the one-year anniversary of his death on Jan. 2. The Opry mainstay passed away in 2015 at the age of 94.

Paisley shared personal memories of Dickens and ended the night with a medley of his mentor's favorites including, "Country Boy," "Out Behind the Barn," "May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose" and "Mountain Dew."

Dickens was the longest-running member of the Opry, joining in 1948 and offering his final performance on Dec. 20, 2014. Check out a photo from the performance here.

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Kanye West's Full 'American Idol' Audition Goes Online

(Radio.com) Since its debut in 2003, American Idol has prompted plenty of viewers to wonder: Could some of today's biggest stars make it on the show? Kanye West decided to put that question to the test when he appeared by surprise at the San Francisco casting call.

Now full video of his encounter with Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr. has surfaced. When asked what song he'll be performing, Kanye explains he wants to do something "original," launching into a few bars from his hit "Gold Digger" with special attention paid to the lyric about J-Lo herself.

"I hope they really believe in him," says a dutiful Kim Kardashian on her husband's date with destiny. As expected, the judges gleefully hand over Kanye's golden "Congratulations" ticket, sending him to Hollywood for the next round. Watch it here.

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Natalie Cole and Whitney Houston Duet Video Resurfaces

(Radio.com) Since Saturday's news that jazz and R&B legend Natalie Cole had passed away at 65, tributes have flooded social media. One video that resurfaced throws back to a time when she performed "Bridge Over Troubled Water" with Whitney Houston in 1990.

The clip shows both late superstars at their very best, sharing the stage and the song's poignant lyrics about friendship and perseverance. The Simon and Garfunkel classic is stirring as ever with Cole and Houston's singular gifts.

Though their vocal stylings may have differed, both Cole and Houston belonged to musical dynasties and battled deeply personal demons in the public eye. Their complicated lives had one undeniable common denominator: enduring musical legacies. Watch the video here.

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Fall Out Boy Release 'Irresistible' Video Featuring Demi Lovato

(Radio.com) Fall Out Boy have released a new music video for their remix of "Irresistible" featuring Demi Lovato. The clip features the band as bobble heads and action figures gone wild in a homage to the classic *NSYNC video "It's Gonna Be Me."

Safe to assume the men of *NSYNC are in on the joke, the video features cameo appearances from Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick. Lance Bass also tweeted his approval.

The band had previously released clip from the track featuring internet sensation Doug the Pug shooting hoops and hanging on the basketball court before heading onstage to play drums. Watch it here.

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Deadmau5 and Tommy Lee Retreat To Tropical Paradise

(Radio.com) While we're shivering in Artic-like temperatures here in the U.S., Deadmau5 is celebrating his 35th birthday in a far more tropical climate. And he's not alone. Having just wrapped up Motley Crue's final tour, Tommy Lee is along for the ride as well as HGTV host Bryan Baeumler and singer/choreographer, Sofi.

Shortly after going on a much talked about tirade against his fellow dance music producers, Deadmau5 admitted to having personal issues and explained that he'd be taking some time away from social media. Well, that didn't last long. The Canadian DJ and dance music maven quickly broke his promise; it's a good thing too. After enduring a 26 hour flight to the middle of nowhere, Deadmau5 began posting photos from one of the most beautiful locations on the planet.

Deadmau5 is enjoying his vacation in the middle of the Indian Ocean, in a chain of micro islands known as the Maldives, specifically, Gili Lankanfushi. Read more and see the photos here.

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Justin Timberlake To Play Musical Role For New 'Trolls' Movie

(Radio.com) Justin Timberlake wears several hats for the upcoming Trolls movie. Not only will he voice one of the main characters, Branch, but he will also serve as executive music producer.

In addition to cultivating the movie's creative vision musically, Timberlake will contribute more than a few of his own original songs to the soundtrack (via The Hollywood Reporter).

"I have always envisioned bringing the two worlds of film and music together for one epic event [and] couldn't be more excited that they will collide in DreamWorks' Trolls," Timberlake says. "This film is very special, the music is going to be very special and I can't wait for everyone to experience it all." Read more here.

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Travis Barker Didn't Let 104 Degree Fever Stop Him From Performing

(Radio.com) Travis Barker will not let his fans down, no matter how ill he becomes. The drummer recently revealed that he continued to play through a 104 degree temperature during a set in at Hyde Bellagio in Las Vegas, over the weekend.

"Thanks to everybody that came to @hydebellagio last night for the show and sound check," Barker captioned an Instagram post. "I had a 104 temp and was severely nauseous and dizzy. The paramedics demanded I not play and go to the hospital asap. I said I'm playing till I either pass out, throw up or die. Met so many of you guys at sound check that came from Mexico, Australia etc. and there was no way I was gonna let you guys down. I got thru my entire set and I appreciate all the love."

Thanks to everybody that came to @hydebellagio last night for the show and sound check. I had a 104 temp and was severely nauseous and dizzy. The paramedics demanded I not play and go to the hospital asap. I said I'm playing till I either pass out, throw up or die." Read more here.

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Naughty By Nature's Treach Slams Kanye West Over Fake Quote

(Radio.com) Kanye West doesn't have a friend in Naughty By Nature's lead man, Treach. But, as it turns out, it's through no fault of his own. Treach is upset that Kanye called Tupac "The most overrated rapper in history."

However, that quote is taken from a fake news site called The News Spike back in September of 2014. For the uninitiated, Tupac and Treach were very close when the deceased rapper was alive. Immediately following his death, Treach recorded a tribute song named, "Mourn you Till I Join You."

Treach took to Twitter with some choice words and memes for West because of the perceived diss towards his fallen friend in rhyme, as well as a few paying tribute, including the below tweet. Read more here.

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Kid Cudi Unplugs For 'Confused' Performance

(Radio.com) When Kid Cudi released his album Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven last month, fans heard music with alternative influences. Cudi continues to prove he's more than just a rapper with an acoustic version of his song "Confused."

Released via his Soundcloud account, the acoustic version was recorded in one take. The acoustic rendition of "Confused" reveals the underlying sadness of the lyrics.

Although the acoustic rendition is missing the figurative bells and whistles of the original, the power and poignancy of the lyrics are still on display. The original version is rife with heavy guitars, which gives it angry tone.

Take a listen to the acoustic and original versions of "Confused" here.

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Beyonce Not Involved in Saartjie Baartman Film Despite Reports

(Radio.com) Billboard is reporting that Beyonce's camp have told them that she is not involved with a rumored biographical movie about the life of Saartjie Baartman.

"Beyonce is in no way tied to this project," the music star's representative told Billboard in a statement. "This is an important story that should be told, however."

Over the weekend, The Sun reported rumors that Bey would write and star in a biopic about Saartjie 'Sarah" Baartman, a South African woman who was enslaved and taken to Europe to appear in freak shows.

The report raised the ire of many, including a South African political leader who claimed Beyonce had no right to tell Baartman's story. Read the comments here.

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